Germany? (Part 1)

I will be doing a post on various countries and their student Visa application processes. Today, I will focus on Germany.

The German student Visa process is multi staged and requires a lot of time and effort. However if you follow through there is a good chance of scaling through.


1. Find a school: There are over a 100 Universities in Germany, and whilst the BSC courses are mainly taught in German, there are a good number of International courses for Masters Students. These courses are taught in English and admissions are usually twice a year; Summer and Winter.

Most students however enroll for Winter Admissions.

To help in your search for schools there are numerous websites. Highly recommended is https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/international-programs/en/ and http://www.mastersportal.eu/.

2. Apply for Admission: After searching through hundreds of schools, you have narrowed down to about 3 or 4 that meets your needs. German applications are usually straightforward. Make sure to read the admission requirements of the schools you are applying to. Rule of thumb is that only apply to programs that directly relate to your undergraduate program. If not, you have to present a strong case of why you should be admitted and you can demonstrate this in your motivational letter.

There is no one general rule for applications. Different schools have different rules. For e.g some schools require GRE, whilst most do not. Some also have an entirely online application procedure where you only upload scanned copies of your documents. Some schools also require you to apply online as well as send copies of your original certificates. Some schools also outsource their application to Uni-assist. I will talk more about Uni-assist in a separate post.

One thing  however, is that most schools require certified copies of your documents. For e.g you need to photocopy your degree certificate, send it to your school for certification and then send to an approved regulatory body in your country for double certification; you can try the courts, the German consulate in your country or legal Commissioner of Oath

I am going to break down the Germany Student Visa process in 4 other posts.

Do you have any questions? Leave a comment